TORONTO – Though blowout wins look great on paper, they may come with unintended consequences — teams taking their foot off the gas, players being a little too self-assured, a modicum of hubris.

After a blowout win over Brazil in its opening game, the Canadian women's U23 side fell back down to Earth in a 70-61 loss to the Texas Longhorns on Thursday night, dropping its record to 1-1 at GLOBL JAM.

Where the Canadians found space against Brazil, they were suffocated against Texas; where they sought safety, they found danger; and where fires burned on offence, they were snuffed out.

Avery Howell, who netted 19 in the opener, still managed to score 15 and grab eight rebounds, but coach Carly Clarke shifted away from her three-point looks, opting for more actions down low for players like Yvonne Ejim, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

When asked why they had to make changes against Texas, Clarke credited one thing in particular: "Their defence."

"We expected the defence we saw today, but obviously they came with tremendous ball pressure, they're up in passing lanes, they were physical with their screens, and it took us too long to really adjust to that," Clarke added.

What looked like a high-flying offence was stifled by Texas, with credit due to the Longhorns' high-pressure style. What looked to be a manageable deficit of 10 points or less felt more like an abyss, as Canada's shots were unable to find the bottom of the basket.

Ultimately, a triple from Aaliyah Crump with just over five minutes to go in regulation felt like the kiss of death, as it put Texas up by 13 and gave the defence more than enough breathing room.

"This one was a battle," Clarke said. "We got down early, we had to fight back and I thought we did a pretty good job of doing that. So some great lessons there, and hopefully we'll come back Saturday ready to go and we'll get this team again Sunday (in the final)."

That grinding tone was set by the Longhorns early on, using their big-bodied frontcourt led by star Madison Booker, who finished with 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists while shooting six-for-13 from the field and three-for-six from deep.

As a whole, Canada was overmatched physically in the first, as Texas's willingness to pound the paint forced Canada into five fouls only 2:17 into the game.

After the game started on a physical note, Clarke subbed in six-foot-eight big Philippina Kyei in the opening minutes to give her side some size to compete.

Kyei made her presence felt right away, setting a staunch screen for point guard Shy Day-Wilson, who forced Booker right into Kyei's brick wall and winded the Longhorns star.

"I thought we started to adjust to (their physicality) as the game went on. (Kyei), that was our normal rotation, but certainly getting her out there to put some pressure on the rim and match their physicality, I thought she did a really good job with that today."

Though the decision brought some fight back to Canada, much of how the team produced on offence against Brazil just fell short this time around.

The ball movement that led Canada to easy buckets in the opener was hampered against Texas's length, as the clean looks for sharpshooters like Howell and Merissah Russell were nowhere to be found. They finished the game 21-for-62 from the field and three-for-19 from deep.

Knowing that the team wasn't on rhythm against a pestering Texas defence, coach Clarke opted for more cuts and drives, which netted them some steady helpings from the charity stripe and in the paint.

But Booker couldn't be stopped on the other end. After nailing two triples in the second quarter, she toasted Russell with a stepback jumper from the elbow, ultimately finishing the frame with 11 and keeping Texas's lead at a healthy eight points.

"We tried to focus on her, but they run everything for her and through her, and that wears us down, I think, when (her teammates) are such quality screeners," Clarke said about Booker. "And credit to her for understanding all these different ways she can impact the game."

Canada's drought from long range continued into the third until the home side hit its first three-pointer 1:50 into the frame, snapping a zero-for-eight streak — a stark contrast from its 17-for-34 showing on Wednesday night.

That wasn't a sign of things to come for Canada, however, as the offence as a whole hit a speed bump coming out of the half, netting only 10 points in the third quarter.

Though Canada managed to cut into the lead at times in the fourth, bringing it down to six or eight points, Texas kept the pressure up, never letting the home side string together baskets and put together a run.

Now, sitting at 1-1, the Canadians will need a win to guarantee a spot in the GLOBL JAM final. But if there's one thing they learned in the loss to Texas, it's that nothing comes easy from here on out.

Up next

Both teams suit up again on Saturday, as Texas opens the day against Brazil at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT.

Canada will look to bounce back against Puerto Rico with action tipping off at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT